Abstract: Biodiversity loss is known to cause strong cascading consequences on ecosystem functions and services. However the net impacts of human disturbance and biodiversity loss on zoonotic disease risk re- mains poorly understand. Here, working across multiple scales in an African savanna ecosystem, we examine the mechanisms by which wildlife loss and associated disturbance may impact prevalence of a range of zoonotic pathogens, and explore the potential for synergy between conservation and protection of human health.

Bio: Hillary Young is a community ecologist, and an assistant professor at University of California Santa Barbara. Her research is focused on understanding the effects of changes in biodiversity loss on population and community structure and function. She looks at this question in a variety of systems using a range of observational, experimental, and meta-analytical approaches.